The unexpected has grown more frequent, but it has not become any easier. The Los Angeles Dodgers shuffled through the visiting clubhouse quietly, solemnly, another exhilarating summer spilling into a disheartening autumn, an all-too-familiar outcome for an otherwise triumphant franchise, as the Arizona Diamondbacks’ rowdy celebration transitioned from their clubhouse to the Chase Field pool and back late Wednesday night.
This time, it was a youthful, gritty, confident Arizona squad that bludgeoned their starting pitchers, stifled their greatest hitters, and seldom allowed the 100-win Los Angeles Dodgers to come up for air.
“They kept punching us in the face, and we weren’t able to get back up,” Los Angeles utility player Enrique Hernandez said after a 4-2 defeat in Game 3 of the National League Division Series. “There aren’t many words other than hurt, disappointment, and frustration.” We’re a bit ashamed.”
The D-backs, who finished the regular season 16 games behind the Dodgers, scored six first-inning runs off Clayton Kershaw in Game 1 and three first-inning runs off Bobby Miller in Game 2. In Game 3, Arizona jumped out to a 4-0 lead against Lance Lynn, the major league leader in home runs allowed, and didn’t need much more.
The Dodgers were just the second club in baseball history to win 100 games during the regular season and never have a lead in a subsequent playoff series, following the 1963 New York Yankees, who were swept in the World Series by the Dodgers. It was the Dodgers’ third consecutive playoff elimination by a club that ended more than 15 games better than them during the regular season. They were eliminated in the NLDS by a division foe they had dominated in each of the last two years, first by the San Diego Padres and then by Arizona, both after relatively significant layoffs.
“There’s some things with the format that people can dissect or whatever, but the bottom line is that the last two years we’ve gotten outplayed in the postseason,” Dave Roberts, the Los Angeles Dodgers manager, said. “It didn’t matter that it was a seven-game series; we lost the first three.” For my part, I need to do a better job of figuring out how to get our guys ready for the postseason. That will be my responsibility. I believe we have excellent players. I need to figure out how to get these guys ready for whatever format or series they’ll be in.
“Yeah, I think we do a good job during the regular season.” But the previous two postseasons haven’t gone well for us, so I’ve got to figure it out.”
The Dodgers won 100 games or more in 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023, but were eliminated in their first postseason series in three of those years, with the lone exception being a 2021 season that finished in the NL Championship Series against the eventual champion Atlanta Braves. They have had one of the most successful regular-season runs in baseball history over the last ten years, but only one championship, which was won during the pandemic-shortened season of 2020.
This year, the Dodgers’ starting pitchers were as shaky as they had ever been, and it showed more clearly than they could have imagined. Kershaw, Miller, and Lynn combined for 423 innings pitched, the fewest ever for the first three games of a postseason round. During that stretch, they gave up 13 runs on 16 hits and three walks, putting their offense in an uphill battle on a regular basis.
“Obviously, a terrible way to end it, but that’s ultimately unimportant.” “It’s just how I didn’t contribute to the team winning this series,” said Kershaw, who will enter the summer unsure if he would retire. “That’s the most important thing: not letting the guys down.” Process it to the best of your ability. I don’t know what it implies, but okay, just proceed from there.”
The Dodgers’ bullpen gave their offense a shot in Game 3, just as it did in Game 2. But the lineup once again failed to provide crucial hits. It was most glaring in the eighth, down two runs, after pinch hitter Kolten Wong drew a leadoff walk to bring up the top of the order. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman struck out, and J.D. Martinez — moved into the No. 3 spot for Game 3 — flied out harmlessly.
Betts and Freeman put up MVP-caliber campaigns and propelled the Dodgers’ high-powered offense all season, but they went a combined 1-for-21 when it counted most.
“Not good by us,” Freeman added.
“I can’t speak for all of us,” Betts said, “but I know for sure I did absolutely nothing to help us win.”
Los Angeles defeated the D-backs in each of the previous five regular-season meetings, outscoring them by an average of 18 runs, before scoring only two runs in each of the three NLDS games against them. Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, Arizona’s two greatest starting pitchers by a significant measure, posted a 5.93 ERA in six starts against the Dodgers during the regular season then combined to give only two runs in 11⅔ innings in Games 1 and 2. In Game 3, it was rookie right-hander Brandon Pfaadt who recorded the first 13 outs with no runs across, turning the game over to the D-backs’ high-leverage relievers.
A quartet of third-inning solo homers — by Geraldo Perdomo, Ketel Marte, Christian Walker and Gabriel Moreno — provided all the support Arizona needed. They covered a total distance of 1,626 feet in a six-batter span. The third-farthest ball of the night, however, came from L.A.’s Chris Taylor, with one out in the ninth inning and the Dodgers trailing by two. It traveled 383 feet and had the potential to tie the game. However, it was hit to the deepest part of the ballpark and landed in the glove of center fielder Alek Thomas.
Another cruel outcome, another abrupt ending.
“We just didn’t play very well,” Taylor admitted. “I don’t think there’s a magic answer.”
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